Actor Marios Athanasiou paid an emotional public tribute to singer Giorgos Mazonakis on stage in Larissa after the musician died from cardiac arrest aged 54.
The announcement of the popular singer's death came on Wednesday evening, September 9, while Athanasiou was performing in a production of the theatrical play Inspector Drake and the Black Widow.
Mazonakis was a prominent Greek singer known for a career spanning decades across popular and traditional laiko music genres. Larissa is a major city in the Thessaly region of central Greece.
During the final curtain call of the performance, Athanasiou took a few minutes to address the audience directly to honor Mazonakis and share a message about compassion and human acceptance.
Athanasiou asked spectators to think as human beings and to show acceptance toward everyone and everything, including people they might not like or might love less. He urged the audience to value loved ones and honor them while they are still alive and near, warning that once someone passes away, all that remains is to applaud and express regret that they are no longer present.
The actor concluded his remarks by calling out to the late singer by his pet name, telling him to go, before the stage speakers played the singer's song Dyskola Fengaria.
Musical tributes across Greece
The curtain call tribute in Larissa was part of a wave of public remembrances performed across Greece following news of the singer's death.
At the outdoor Alsos Theatre in Athens, a tribute featured the song Ores Mikres, during which a member of the audience shouted out a final farewell to Mazonakis.
The musical group Chatzi-Frageta also dedicated a live performance to the late artist, singing his song Eisai To Lathos Mou To Telefteo.
Fellow singer Ilias Vrettos shared a tribute online recounting a personal story, expressing his wish that the late singer's tormented soul would rest in peace. Meanwhile, the artist's father spoke publicly for the first time following his son's passing, asking who would bring his child back to him.
Investigation into cause of death
Greek law enforcement and medical authorities have initiated a comprehensive criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mazonakis.
The underlying cause of the cardiac arrest that led to his death remains formally undetermined. Forensic examiners are waiting for the results of detailed toxicological analyses to provide further clarification.
Prosecutors have brought felony charges of exposure leading to death against two medical doctors, identified as Dr Gaka and Dr Ilias Theodoropoulos. Both physicians are scheduled to appear in court on Monday to deliver their formal defense statements.
A legal representative for the Mazonakis family announced that he will ask judicial authorities to escalate the charges against the two physicians to homicide with eventual intent.
Timeline and medical procedures
Investigators are scrutinizing significant discrepancies in the timeline surrounding the singer's medical emergency. The lawyer for the family stated that Mazonakis was left unconscious for an hour and a half before anyone contacted emergency medical responders from EKAB, the national emergency care service.
A taxi driver who transported Mazonakis to the clinic provided sworn testimony establishing that he arrived at 1:55 p.m., contradicting statements by the accused doctors who claimed the patient arrived at 4:30 p.m.
Documentary evidence has further challenged the defense offered by Dr Theodoropoulos, who claimed he was eating at a restaurant in the Kolonaki district of Athens when the cardiac arrest occurred. Dr Gaka explained the contradictions in her own prior statements by stating that she was in a state of panic.
Final moments and medical findings
Investigation files show that Dr Theodoropoulos administered two injections of adrenaline to Mazonakis during the emergency attempt to treat him.
Details from the singer's final hours indicate that individuals present searched artificial intelligence platforms for instructions on how to revive him, erased his scheduled appointments, and took a photograph of him while he was undergoing plasmapheresis.
Plasmapheresis is a medical treatment that filters and replaces blood plasma. Two medical experts testifying in the case stressed that the procedure must strictly be performed inside a hospital because patients face severe risks of hemodynamic instability.
The funeral service for Giorgos Mazonakis will take place on Monday at 1:00 p.m. in Nikaia, a suburb in the Athens metropolitan area.
